Qantas mishap leaves customers stranded on tarmac for five hours

[kangarooflyer88]

A Qantas flight landing in the Gold Coast from Sydney got stuck on the tarmac for over 5 hours due to steering issues with no food or water provided.

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This seems like a clear violation of long tarmac delay rules which usually require deplaning after 3 hours. If I was a passenger I’d be calling 000 after the third hour to get off that flight.

 

[jrfsp]

Which tarmac delay rules would they be?

 

[aikman]

An offer of compensation would have been the right thing to do but it sounds like all the passengers are getting is an apology. No doubt they used the same excuse of "because safety is our number one priority".

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Which tarmac delay rules would they be?

Tarmac Delays Seem to Be Happening More Often—These Are Your Rights as an Airline Passenger

Here's what you need to know if you find yourself stuck on the tarmac for hours.

www.cntraveler.com

 

[jrfsp]

Tarmac Delays Seem to Be Happening More Often—These Are Your Rights as an Airline Passenger

Here's what you need to know if you find yourself stuck on the tarmac for hours.

www.cntraveler.com

What i was getting at is there are no "rules" for domestic flights in AU

I dont know why this took so long to move the aircraft. Ive been on a QF A330 landing into PER with the same issue. Had to wait to get towed off the runway. Id say took 30 mins max from landing to getting to the gate.

 

[milehighclub]

What i was getting at is there are no "rules" for domestic flights in AU

It really is just about giving water and snacks for free, because the second you step off the aircraft and its ready, they can (and no doubt would) offload you immediately, as per the rules and then you are responsible for getting yourself to the destination. So it's not exactly passenger friendly, more about just not ignoring your passengers.

This seems like a clear violation of long tarmac delay rules which usually require deplaning after 3 hours. If I was a passenger I’d be calling 000 after the third hour to get off that flight.

No doubt this would also fall under a safety reason and even in the US where there are rules to allow deplaning, the captain can overrule it due to safety.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

It really is just about giving water and snacks for free, because the second you step off the aircraft and its ready, they can (and no doubt would) offload you immediately, as per the rules and then you are responsible for getting yourself to the destination. So it's not exactly passenger friendly, more about just not ignoring your passengers.

But this is different. The passengers have already arrived at their destination. It was literally taxiing those couple hundred metres to the terminal. Now sure, the Gold Coast is further north than Sydney so it must have been freezing over there, but I suspect 5 hours without water is unreasonable certainly to the vulnerable population (i.e. elderly) and I suspect even those in good shape weren't feeling particularly well after that flight.

No doubt this would also fall under a safety reason and even in the US where there are rules to allow deplaning, the captain can overrule it due to safety.

How is this a safety issue? Yes the pilot may not be able to steer the airplane but that doesn't prevent an airbridge from coming up beside the aircraft and offloading the passengers.

 

[oz_mark]

How is this a safety issue? Yes the pilot may not be able to steer the airplane but that doesn't prevent an airbridge from coming up beside the aircraft and offloading the passengers.

Didn't realise airbridges had been installed at the end of the runway!

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Didn't realise airbridges had been installed at the end of the runway!

Portable stairs. Whatever the terminology is for the thing they move up to an airplane when it's not at the gate.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Quickstatus]

When a MEL bound QF94 did a splash and dash in SYD due to MEL fog, about 10 SYD bound passengers and I were given the option to deplane from a remote stand where there were going to refuel. The bus and stairs came promptly.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

When a MEL bound QF94 did a splash and dash in SYD due to MEL fog, about 10 SYD bound passengers and I were given the option to deplane from a remote stand where there were going to refuel. The bus and stairs came promptly.

Hopefully you received ORC for your troubles. But I think this datapoint proves that it is possible for Qantas has the capacity to deplane passengers in a timely manner especially given at that point QF owned the airport. After all it was stuck on the runway so no planes could depart or land

 

[milehighclub]

Hopefully you received ORC for your troubles. But I think this datapoint proves that it is possible for Qantas has the capacity to deplane passengers in a timely manner especially given at that point QF owned the airport. After all it was stuck on the runway so no planes could depart or land

But did OOL have the equipment available? All the gates at OOL are at the terminal. Almost zero need to bus passengers for any reason. And if they did, for whatever reason, would be in rare circumstances and arranged in advance to have drivers.

Don't get me wrong, it would've been a very unpleasant evening, but my experience tells me it would not have been as simple as just opening the door with some stairs and problem solved.

 

[Bundy Bear]

I am surprised Qantas didn’t ask for a stairs and a bus, seems like the airport thought it would be fixed soon and thought safer to leave passengers on the plane. A few flights got diverted to Brisbane.

 

[oz_mark]

I am surprised Qantas didn’t ask for a stairs and a bus, seems like the airport thought it would be fixed soon and thought safer to leave passengers on the plane. A few flights got diverted to Brisbane.

That's the thing though. Whatever Qantas asked for, they are pretty much in the hands of the airport as to what they can get.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

That's the thing though. Whatever Qantas asked for, they are pretty much in the hands of the airport as to what they can get.

I think it's fair to assume that the facilities at OOL would be similar to SYD, and even if they were not, then an argument should be made that Qantas needs to have contingencies in place for such events. Running out of something as basic as water on a hot summer's day (I know we're in spring but the weather begs to disagree here) is unacceptable. Maybe for you or I it's not as huge a deal, but someone who is vulnerable be it by age or health condition may not fair as well.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Quickstatus]

received ORC for your troubles

Was no trouble at all - I arrived at my destination a lot earlier.
The CSM was on the ball - she came to me and told me they were diverting to SYD and gave me the deplaning option as suggested by the Captain
The proviso was that the Bus and stairs arrived promptly, otherwise they would not wait for it if refuelling completes and Ground gives clearance to taxi to runway.

ORC- tick
Luggage remained onboard, and delivered to later that afternoon - basically we exited SYD T1 hand luggage only, no waiting in the SYD Zoo luggage carousel

I can't imagine an airport does not have mobile stairs. IIRC the stairs at the gate are the manual push types

 

[Stone]

As far as I'm aware, there are no buses air side at Coolangatta Airport. There aren't the need given the lack of remote stands. Given the need for ASIC cards and clearances for working air side, you can't just conjure up a bus driver and bus immediately.

If the plane was disabled on a taxiway just off the runway, there is the possibility that they were refused clearance to disembark the plane initially and walk what is a fair distance back to the airport. Qantas are guilty of many things at the moment, but holding passengers on the plane unnecessarily is something they are unlikely to do.

 

[yachty]

I can't imagine an airport does not have mobile stairs. IIRC the stairs at the gate are the manual push types

I think, as suggested earlier, the issue was that OOL does not have buses to move people to the terminal.

That being said, I'm not sure if the news is playing funny buggers with the times? The plane landed at 8:30pm-ish according to Flightaware, and Gold Coast Airport said the runway was cleared by 10:30pm. Unless they towed them off the runway and then left them there for another three hours...?

Also looks like the crew at least had wine to give out during the wait... I would've been happy with that lol. Either way, not a great experience for pax... I get very antsy stuck on planes that aren't going anywhere.

 

[jrfsp]

Id imagine that OOL has a car park bus, cant imagine the bus driver doesnt have an ASIC - even if not escorts can be arranged

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Id imagine that OOL has a car park bus, cant imagine the bus driver doesnt have an ASIC - even if not escorts can be arranged

At a minimum the airport needs to have a shuttle bus in the unlikely event that there is a bonafide emergency where passengers need to be evacuated. For instance, suppose a flight had to divert to OOL for an engine fire. Chances are once the fire is put out, passengers will need to be evacuated from the aircraft and shuttled to the terminal.

I should also point out that Surfer's Paradise airport is an international airport with it servicing several such flights per day, so the possibility of having to evacuate a wide body with hundreds of passengers is a very real possibility.

-RooFlyer88